Quick Facts
Origin: Renal Artery.
Course: Branches from the renal artery near to the renal hilum.
Branches: None.
Supplied Structures: Superior third of the ureter.
Origin
Small ureteric branches arise from the renal artery, just as it enters the kidney at the renal hilum. The ureter emerges from the kidney at the same location.
Course
The ureteric branches pass immediately to the ureter and form an arterial plexus around it.
Branches
Ramifications of the ureteric branches form arterioles and capillaries that supply the tissues of the ureter. These form anastomoses with ureteric branches from the abdominal aorta.
Supplied Structures
Anatomical variation in the arterial supply of the ureter is common. This long structure is supplied segmentally by overlapping arteries from several sources. The superior third of the ureter is supplied by the ureteric branches of the renal artery.
